The deadline to apply for the opening was 4 p.m. Monday. Northeast Ohio Media Group obtained the applications just before deadline Tuesday afternoon. The board has 30 days to select a replacement for Brickley.

Here is what the candidates said about themselves on their applications and resumes:

Botsch, of Laurell Circle, is an underwriter for SIRVA Mortgage Inc. in Cleveland. She was also owner of New Beginnings Consulting, a consultant for mortgage companies, from 2008-2010.

Botsch said she has three children in the Strongsville schools. She said her professional experience has given her the ability to make sound judgments and communicate.

“Communicating effectively with the city, teachers, parents and students needs to be a priority by showing them that our focus and goal is the same,” Botsch said.

Botsch has an associate’s degree in business from Lorain County Community College and a culinary arts certificate from Lorain County JVS.

Fronius said her education – including a master’s degree in business administration from Balwin Wallace College – and her career experience would make her a good board member. On her cover letter, Fronius said she has sons attending Zellers and Chapman Elementary, Albion Middle and Strongsville High schools.

“I am familiar with the school system,” Fronius said on her cover letter. “The quality of the Strongsville school system was the primary motivator to move my family here when my sons were beginning second grade.”

Glacken, of Drake Road, is territory manager for House of Larose, a Brecksville Anheuser Busch distributor. He has also worked as a sales representative for Ohio Consolidated Builders Inc. in Cleveland.

During an October school board meeting, Glacken blasted the school
district and teachers for failing to move past the bitter teachers'
strike last year. On his application, he said he has two children in the Strongsville City Schools and plans to keep them there through high school.

“As they are only 9 and 5, I have invested interest in the Strongsville schools,” Glacken said. “My current job has me dealing with budgets, but also dealing with the public.”

Glacken has a bachelor of science in business administration degree from Bowling Green. He said that as a board member he would strive to renew the community’s trust in the school system after last year’s teachers’ strike.

Krempasky, of Fieldstone Point, is commander of the U.S. Air Force ROTC at Kent State University. He has also worked for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where, among other things, he provided human-resources management for NATO’s Joint Forces Command Headquarters.

Krempasky said he has children in the district but he wasn’t more specific. He said his experience at KSU, where he has worked with more than 300 students, would help him as a board member.

“I have watched them succeed in manners unexpected of people their age and I have watched them fail miserably, and have helped picked them up, dust them off and get them back on the right track,” Krempasky said.

Krempasky has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa. He said he teaches youth sports and the Boy Scouts of America.

Lally, of Drake Road, is a mayoral assistant for the city of Parma Heights. She is also co-owner of Cleveland Curb Appeal, a maker of decorative curbs, and she was an Ohio state representative from 1998-2003.

Lally believes her business and political experience would make her an asset on the school board. She said that as a member of the state legislature, she was minority whip for the Democratic Party and a member of the Finance Committee.

“As a parent of five children in the Strongsville City School district, I have a vested interest in the successful outcomes of our schools,” Lally said.

Lally has a bachelor of arts degree from Ohio University and a graphic-design certificate from Polaris Career Center.

Ludwig, of Abigail Lane, is a part-time teller at PNC Bank in Brunswick. She has also worked as a sales clerk at Kirlin’s Hallmark in Strongsville and a senior buyer at Roxane Laboratories in Columbus.

Ludwig said she, as a parent volunteer, has served on the district’s Facilities Task Force and the Boundary Review, School Calendar, School Start Time and Strategic Planning committees. She is also treasurer of both the Strongsville High School PTA and Strongsville Historical Society.

“A school board member should be informed on issues facing the district and be able to make decisions to positively impact student opportunities and achievement while following the school board code of ethics,” Ludwig said.

Ludwig has a bachelor’s degree in business, purchasing and procurement from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Lum, of Waterfall Road, is student services director for College Planning Network, a Beachwood firm that helps students find potential colleges. He is also president of Wired2Lead, an organization- and management-development consulting firm.

Lum said he has two children in the district. He said he has proven leadership skills and a drive to help anyone attain the highest level of education.

“I have a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to the community as well as the students of Strongsville,” Lum said on his application. “I will continue to show my support for Strongsville and enhance the city in any way possible.”

Lum has a doctorate degree in education from Walden University in Minneapolis, and a master’s degree in leadership from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb.

Schonhut, of Lanier Avenue, is brother of Strongsville Councilman Matt Schonhut. He is manager of Schonhut Landscape Services LLC and a second-year law student at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Schonhut has no children of school age. He also said he realizes that, if appointed, he would be the least-experienced board member. However, he added that he is quick-learning and hard-working.

Schonhut said he – because his law education is focusing on taxes, corporations and arbitration – can help restore the public’s faith in the board.

“This will in large part be accomplished if the board correctly handles the next round of SEA (Strongsville Education Association) negotiations while raising academic standards,” Schonhut said.

Schonhut graduated magna cum laude from John Carroll University with a bachelor of arts degree. He majored in English literature.

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